


Running Away

by T_Sauce



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Blog post, F/F, Happy Ending, I'm so sorry, a tale of bechloe as told by someone looking in, i'm a little bit in love with jamie now, mild spoiler for PP3, own characters relationship, this broke my own heart writing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 23:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13375815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_Sauce/pseuds/T_Sauce
Summary: Chloe and Beca finally admit how they feel following Beca's performance of Freedom x 90, but Chloe is unwilling to let Beca give up her dream for her.orThe one where a guy writes a blog post on how he witnessed two girls have their hearts broken in an airport in the South of France, and how their lives are entwined from then on.





	Running Away

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first fic for Bechloe, so I hope you like it and I do this beautiful pairing justice.

Jamie swore to his girlfriend that he had been minding his own business and that he wasn’t eavesdropping as he tried to explain his latest blog post (still in draft status) to her at their small apartment in Brooklyn. He had just so happened to be stood in a queue to get on the same flight at Nice Cote d’Azur Airport at the same time a small brunette and a slightly taller redhead with the bluest eyes he had ever seen appeared and caught his attention.

 

His girlfriend Nicky, however, had rolled her eyes good-naturedly when he had stuttered his way through an explanation about how these girls just needed their story telling. She took his laptop off him to read the post, knowing that he just genuinely enjoyed writing and real life stories were helpful to him as an aspiring journalist and he was in no way meddling or trying to get involved or be spiteful.

 

She had actually lost count of the amount of times she had lost him downtown Manhattan when he stopped walking to continue listening to a story whilst she carried on, only to turn around to ask him a question and him not be there. Or when they were sat on the subway, the way he managed to make friends with every single person on the carriage and get their life story before their stop.

 

She actually blamed his mother, she had been a people person, and people used to go to her all the time with issues or just for a chat, and Jamie had grown up exactly the same. It was one of the things that had drawn her to him in the first place. He was unlike any guy she had ever met before as he seemed genuinely interested when she spoke about her life. His green eyes had sparked with delight when she described how much she loved her job in the city as a stylist, and watching people with no self-confidence come in and then leave feeling like the most beautiful person in the world (people’s reactions caused her to cry at least once a week). He had smiled genuinely as she spoke about her family back in Seattle, and asked appropriate questions about her siblings, seemingly genuinely interested.

 

He was still like that. He seemed to enjoy hearing about her day, and was always jotting stories down in his notebook, ready to type up to his blog. She liked to think of his blog as the third person version of Human’s of New York, except without the photos (and the reach of HONY).

 

Back in the present, she looked at the laptop which was open to his blog with a story typed out in its draft format. She secretly enjoyed the fact he got nervous about posting anything to his blog and always asked her to read it before it was posted whilst he stood around behind her wringing his hands together. This time was no exception, but Nicky tuned him out and turned her attention to the text, waiting to see what he had encountered whilst waiting to fly home.

 

> _**JUST JAMIE** : And those around me who deserve to have their stories told._
> 
> _‘Have you ever lost someone who you thought was the one? Or have you ever had to let someone go because it was for the best?_
> 
> _It has taken me a week to write up something I witnessed last Sunday at Nice Cote d’Azur Airport whilst I was waiting for my flight home after visiting my aunt who retired to the South of France a couple of years ago. Sometimes you have to step back from a story to gain some clarity and it takes a while to write something that does the subject proud. But I should probably start at the beginning..._
> 
> _It had already been a long morning. Aunt Grace lived quite a way from Nice Airport, and I had a midday flight which meant I would have had to have left her apartment at 8AM anyway to ensure that I arrived with enough time to check in and drop bags, go through security etc. (I am obviously one of those people who like to be at airports early enough to not have to worry). Aunt Grace however was insistent that we went out for breakfast before I left, which, combined with my last night in France last night (in which copious amounts of red wine were consumed) the early start wasn’t a good combination._
> 
> _So by the time I arrived at the airport, I was still slightly hung-over and running on about three hours of sleep, but I managed to check in and get through the normal rigmarole of an airport in about an hour, before getting a coffee and a bottle of water for the flight. After browsing duty free, I double checked the departures board and saw that they had announced my gate so I made my way towards it - hoping to a God I don’t know if I believe in that we could board quickly and so I could get some much needed sleep on my way home (note: this did not happen)._
> 
> _I would like to point out, if you follow this blog, you should already know that people intrigue me. I like to immerse myself in their personalities for a few minutes as I listen to their stories, or have a conversation with them, which means more often than not, I feel their feelings and often find things affecting me when it probably shouldn’t. What I’m about to share affected me on a personal way more than anything that has happened to a stranger has before, and I debated about posting this but realised that some stories need to be shared, either for closure, or because sometimes pain demands to be felt._
> 
> _I enjoy people-watching at airports, as everyone has a different story and a different reason for being there, whether it be the half asleep students waiting to board, or the parents with small children despairing as they realised that their son had dropped his stuffed dog somewhere and was seconds away from a tantrum (note: they found him, the young boy had managed to stuff him down his younger siblings t-shirt)._
> 
> _However, I found my eyes continually drawn to a girl sat opposite me to the left. She was a beautiful redhead with the bluest eyes I have ever seen and wearing dark blue skinny jeans, a pair of brown Chelsea boots and a top just the right shade of blue to make her eyes pop even more. But it wasn’t her obvious beauty that caught my attention, but the fact that her eyes were swimming with unshed tears. Her entire body language screamed sadness, from the way she kept her head down except for to glance up at the screens with the boarding information every couple of minutes, to the way she had wrapped her arms around herself, clutching her phone in her hand like it was a lifeline._
> 
> _I caught her eye at one point as she had completed yet another look at the board, only to see nothing had changed – the air was taken out of my lungs as she offered me a watery smile. Despite the smile, I could see the pain in her face, and I realised that this wasn’t just an argument with a boyfriend, or a normal goodbye to a relative as I had originally thought._
> 
> _No._
> 
> _This was something much bigger, and whatever it was, it was absolutely killing her._
> 
> _I itched to go over to her and wrap her in a hug and tell her she would be okay, but from observing her, I really didn’t think that that would help, at least not without knowing the story._
> 
> _And to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know – I have never seen pain like this in anyone before._
> 
> _It didn’t take long after that for them to announce that we were to line up as boarding would commence within the next 10 minutes. I stood up, and threw my coffee cup in the trash can at the end of my row of seats, and picked up my backpack before walking round to join the end of the already forming queue._
> 
> _The redheaded girl reached the queue at the same time as me and I gestured for her to go in front of me, and she nodded once and then turned to her phone with a small ‘thank you’._
> 
> _The queue wasn’t moving._
> 
> _People were getting restless and people were starting to quieten down around me, so when a shout of “Chloe” in an American accent echoed from my left, everyone heard it. Including the redhead in front of me, who seemed to freeze and then turn in slow-motion towards the owner of the voice._
> 
> _I followed her line of sight, and saw a small brunette girl jogging over to us, the same pain echoed on her face as the redhead, or Chloe as I now knew. I couldn’t help but notice that the brunette was not dressed for a flight back to the States, not with how New York is at the moment (it’s currently in the low 20s which is why I had a jumper in my backpack), but this girl was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a stripy t-shirt with a pair of black converse and had no bag in her hand._
> 
> _“What the hell dude”?! The brunette asked sharply, as she took Chloe’s hand and pulled her out of the queue to stand a few feet to the left of us. I tried not to make it obvious I was watching / listening, but I was curious. What had happened between these two? Why did they both look like they were about to fall apart in the middle of an airport in France?_
> 
> _“Beca, please don’t do this” Chloe whispered, pleading with the brunette as she lifted her head to make eye contact, tears falling silently down her cheeks as they finally spilt over._
> 
> _“You’re the one running away Chlo, I just had to buy a ticket to Istanbul just to get through security” Beca replied, anger apparent in her voice, and in her body language._
> 
> _“I’m about to board, I can’t do this now Beca” Chloe turned back towards the queue, but stopped as Beca spoke again, and I watched how her already devastated expression broke completely, and a small sob wracked her body._
> 
> _“You kissed me, and now you’re running away”? Beca whimpered, the anger seeming to dissipating as she took in the tears in Chloe’s eyes. As I looked over I saw the tears starting to flow down her face as well, but Chloe didn’t turn around, as though looking at the other girls face was too difficult for her._
> 
> _“Becs,” Chloe seemed to plead with the brunette._
> 
> _“No, Chloe, you kissed me last night after the show and we went back to your room, and then I wake up this morning to find the bed myself alone in a bed when I should have had you next to me”. Beca’s voice rose as she got to the end of the sentence, and I could feel the tension between the two of them. In fact, I saw the man now in front of me turn away from them and put his headphones in his ears in an effort to escape from it._
> 
> _“It was a mistake, and I’m sorry”_
> 
> _At this point I think I saw Chloe’s heart break, and I help my breath, willing Beca to not believe her._
> 
> _“I know you don’t believe that Chlo” Beca took a step forward and tentatively reached out and took Chloe’s hand, forcing her back around to face her. “This has been five years in the making, ever since that first time you made me sing for you in the shower at Barden my freshmen year”_
> 
> _I raised an eyebrow at that as I pretended to look at something on my phone._
> 
> _“I’m sorry Beca” Chloe whimpered,_
> 
> _“I just don’t understand” Beca cried out pleading now, “Please tell me what I need to do Chlo? Last night was perfect so tell me how to fix this, tell me what I need to do to get you to stay”?_
> 
> _Both girls were sobbing now, and the queue to board the flight had started to move. I watched as Chloe turned around and saw that we were starting to take a couple of steps forward._
> 
> _“You told me last night you would give up LA, give up the recording contract and follow me to Atlanta whilst I did my teaching degree. I can’t let you do that Beca” Chloe cried, her voice breaking, “you deserve this, and you have worked so long and so hard for this, you are not giving that up for me”_
> 
> _“That’s not your decision to make Chloe Beale” Beca hiccupped, the tears causing her eyeliner to start running down her face, and she brought her hand up to wipe her cheeks._
> 
> _“Yes Beca, it is, you need to do this. So I am going to get on this plane and go home, and you are going to get on the flight to LA with Theo and Khalid, and you are going to make us all so proud. You are so talented Rebecca Mitchell, and you were made for this. You were made to make music, and refuse to be the person that stands in the way of that for you.” Chloe turned back to us for the second time, and took her place in the queue in front of me and I wanted to reach out and touch her shoulder, reassure her that she wasn’t alone._
> 
> _Beca was silent for a minute. I could see her in my peripheral vision fidgeting, fists clenched as though willing herself not to break down. We all took a few more steps forwards and I could now see the desk where attendants were checking passports and boarding passes, there was only about 5 people in front of us._
> 
> _“But I’m in love you” Beca shouted, now being about 10 feet behind us, and I swear, all the air in the terminal seemed to drop and no-one in the queue made a noise. Even the toddler that had been near tantrum only half an hour ago seemed to have stopped, understanding that silence was needed for something of this magnitude._
> 
> _Chloe’s shoulders rose as she took a deep breath as if steeling herself, and she strode over to Beca, and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Chloe’s hands cupped Beca’s face, and Beca’s wrapped around Chloe’s upper back, pulling her in close. It lasted maybe 20 seconds, and they pulled away, resting their foreheads together._
> 
> _The background noise of the airport seemed to fade away and it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop._
> 
> _“I’m sorry Beca” Chloe sobbed as she turned away from the brunette, pressing her hand against Beca’s chest although whether to force her to stay where she was stood, or because Chloe needed to physically push herself away I couldn’t say. I watched Chloe walk back over and I stepped back so that she could go next, even though I wanted nothing more than to push her back towards the brunette who was crumpling to the ground. She gave the attendant her passport and boarding pass, and both Beca and I watched her walk down the tunnel to the flight that would take her away from here, ignoring the small shouts of “Chloe” as Beca sobbed._
> 
> _Of course, I just so happened to be seated next to Chloe on the eight hour flight back to New York._
> 
> _As she took her seat next to the window, I stowed my backpack in the luggage hold above us, and as I sat down in the middle seat, I realised that she had yet to stop crying._
> 
> _I wordlessly handed her a packet of tissues I always have handy, and offered her a small smile, and buckled my seatbelt as she took a tissue and held it to her eyes as the sobs continued to wrack her body.’_

....

 

At this point, Nicky stopped reading, the tears falling silently down her cheeks as she looked back at Jamie.

 

“What the hell? Why did she get on the plane”? Nicky whispered, understanding now why Jamie had said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to post this one. It was raw, and emotional and all too real. It wasn’t just a story. It was true. This was someone’s life, and Nicky felt like she wanted to skip forward to their happy ending.

 

“She loved Beca too much to watch her give up everything” Jamie stated sadly, “There’s another page of text yet”

 

....

 

> _‘It didn’t take Chloe long to fall asleep next to me. I tried to nod off as well, but I was too overcome with emotions. I didn’t know the full story, but I could just picture Beca crumpling to the floor behind us as we boarded, and I found my heart breaking for both of them._
> 
> _At some point, Chloe ended up moving in her sleep so she was resting her head on my shoulder, and I didn’t dare disturb her. I could see her eyes moving beneath her eyelids and her right hand was a fist. It appeared that even in sleep, she wasn’t free from unease._
> 
> _She woke up about four hours into the flight, and I was three episodes into Lucifer, trying to take my mind off what I had seen. My girlfriend Nicky always says I care too much to the troubles of others, and whilst it is a genuine quality that makes me a caring boyfriend and an amazing friend, she worries that one day, something is going to cause me to break too._
> 
> _I don’t know if this is that time, but I knew that at the moment as Chloe woke up, this wasn’t about me._
> 
> _“Oh, I’m sorry” Chloe sniffed as she woke up and realised she had been leaning on me for the last three and a half hours. She looked awful. She looked pale, and her eyes were red and swollen, and he mouth was set in a tense straight line, and as I assured her I didn’t mind, the tears built up again and she reached into the seat pocket for the pack of tissues I had given her four hours previously._
> 
> _“I’m Jamie” I introduced myself, feeling the need to offer something other than what was probably going on in her head now._
> 
> _“Chloe, although you probably already knew that, what with Beca in the airport and all... oh my God, she is never going to forgive me for this” Chloe trailed off at the end of her sentence, and she breathed in deeply, as if willing herself not to fall apart again._
> 
> _“You know, my girlfriend tells me I am a brilliant listener, so if you need to talk about it, I’ll just sit here and listen”_
> 
> _And she did._
> 
> _It took until the Captain announced that we were due to land in the next 25 minutes for her to tell me her story. She told me about how she had met Beca, and how the last five years had been building up to last night. I won’t go into any more details, as it is not my story to tell._
> 
> _As she finished, I wiped my own tears, and just said something my mother had told me once when an ex girlfriend had broken my heart._
> 
> _“Look, Chloe, I can’t say I am an expert in this sort of thing, but I do believe that the Universe has a funny way of testing us, and sometimes it likes to fuck around with us as a test of ensuring that something is supposed to me. But I also believe that if something is meant to be, it will always find a way of working out, no matter the history, or the pain or the suffering you have to go through to get there._
> 
> _From what you’ve said, you and Beca are meant to be, and I honestly think you will get past this, and she will be able to understand why you have done this and forgive you. I also think you will be able to one day forgive yourself and find your own ways to work your way back to each other”._
> 
> _“Thank you Jamie” Chloe breathed, a bit of pain dissipating in her eyes for the first time since I first saw her, and she gave me a small smile, full of hope._
> 
> _And as we started our descent into JFK Airport, if I let her hold my hand to offer her some comfort, well? I didn’t think my girlfriend would mind..._

....

 

“Jamie, this is... perfect” Nicky breathed, turning around to her boyfriend, “do you really think that they will work it out eventually”?

 

“I hope so” Jamie replied, “But they made me realise something...” He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a small jewellery box, and got down onto one knee, “I love you Nicky, and if I thought watching Chloe walk away from Beca in the middle of that French Airport last week was painful, I don’t think I could ever bear to watch you walk away from me like that, and I don’t ever want to have to live without you. I don’t think I would survive that, so Nicola Chambers, will you marry me”?

 

Nicky smiled through her tears, and nodded.

 

“Yes Jamie Harrison, of course I will you big softie”

 

It may not have been how he originally planned to do it, but somehow, on a rainy evening in downtown Brooklyn in their tiny dining room, it was perfect.

 

....

 

Time passed, and Jamie had almost forgotten about his chance encounter with a certain redhead and tiny brunette. His blog post had received over 100 comments and 1000 likes, with people all over the world either relating to the post, or just hopeless romantics hoping for a happy ending, but it had slowly faded, and Jamie’s posts had continued, and he continued collecting stories from strangers in New York (and from that week he and Nicky spent in Italy).

 

It was one night when he and Nicky were relaxing on the couch one evening over a year later watching Jimmy Fallon that he was reminded of the girls in the airport.

 

He sat up quickly and abruptly, almost knocking the popcorn off Nicky’s lap and he peered closer to the TV.

 

“What the hell Jamie”? Nicky admonished as she readjusted from her previous position of resting against Jamie’s shoulder.

 

“That’s her” Jamie whispered, pointing at the TV but offering no further context.

 

Nicky looked at the TV, and then back at her fiancé. The small brunette woman on the chair talking to Fallon had been everywhere the last few months but Jamie wasn’t very good with current music, or culture. Ever since the guest had released her debut album (which had already gone triple platinum) and she had won a Grammy for best new artist a month previously, Beca Mitchell had been the biggest name in the music industry.

 

“Are you going to elaborate on that Jame”? Nicky teased, wondering why her fiancé had suddenly gone crazy.

 

“That’s THE Beca” he turned to Nicky, his eyes shining with tears, “from the airport in France. Beca and Chloe”

 

“Well I’ll be” Nicky breathed in deeply, “looks like Chloe made the right decision for Beca after all”

 

“Maybe she did, but I wonder what happened between the two of them after that day?”...

 

....

 

A year after that, Nicky was at her work studios in Manhattan. She had gotten a new job about six months ago and she now worked at a studio that dealt with celebrities on occasion. Not as glamourous as it sounded as the hours were longer and it was often much more political, but the money was great and she was starting to build up some regular clients again.

 

It was awards season, and she had been really busy for the last two weeks, helping actresses, actors and singers help prepare for the Grammies, the Oscars and the Golden Globes. Whilst she was still relatively new, she wasn’t given the A-List stars to work on, but she understood that she had to prove herself.

 

As she tidied her workstation from her 3PM appointment, she felt hands around her waist and she smiled.

 

“Hi Jamie” she grinned as she turned around and kissed her husband, “I’m just finishing up”

 

“I know” his green eyes twinkling, the dark stubbly beard (a relatively new addition to his face) making his teeth look whiter as he smiled easily down at her, “That’s why we agreed that we would use now to go and celebrate me getting that job at the New York Times with dinner and my up and coming superstar is going to be in mega demand when everyone realises how talented she is”

 

“That would be per...” Nicky started, when they were interrupted by her boss, a middle aged lady called June.

 

“Nicky, I need you to step in for Helen” June said, a slightly panicked tone to her voice, “she’s just gone full star-struck on me, and I’ve had to send her on a break before she had a mental break... she forgot how to talk and then burst into tears on her client”

 

“Uhm, well, we kind of had plans” Nicky gestured to Jamie.

 

“I know, and I’m sorry, but this is for the Grammies tonight, and this could make your career Nick” June reasoned, but she looked genuinely apologetic as she looked between them both.

 

“It’s okay Nicky, I’ll just set up here and get some writing done, we can go later on once you’re finished” Jamie smiled again, and Nicky felt herself melt at how lucky she was that she got this understanding man as a husband.

 

“Okay June, who’s my client”? Nicky asked, and June sighed in relief as she walked back over towards the waiting area, and then a few seconds later Nicky and Jamie’s eyes widened as Beca Mitchell walked over to them.

 

“Hey, I’m Beca and this gorgeous woman is my girlfriend,” she smirked as she beckoned to another woman who joined them with a wide smile that was full of such pure joy and kindness she looked like she could stop all world conflict with one look. Nicky glanced down as her hand entwined with Beca’s and she felt an unexplained excitement build within her.

 

Nicky smiled widely as she glanced at Jamie - who looked like he was about to hyperventilate - as the beautiful woman held out the hand that wasn’t grasping at the small brunettes in a greeting, and she reached out and shook it enthusiastically.

 

“I’m Chloe Beale, it’s lovely to meet you”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that, there will be another chapter following on from this. I just need to figure out exactly how that is going to work... Please keep your eyes peeled!


End file.
